The sins of the fathers (etc.) shall be visited on the children — at least when the sins are environmental and the children are in China. A recent survey of more than 11,000 schoolchildren in the southern Chinese city of Shenzhen found that nearly two-thirds suffered from lead poisoning. Such poisoning, when untreated, can cause damage to the brain, nervous, and reproductive systems; mental retardation; behavioral problems; stunted growth; anemia; high blood pressure; and, in extreme cases, death. Sadly, Shenzhen is not atypical of Chinese cities; studies done in Beijing showed that about 20 percent of youth had excessive lead levels in their blood, and in Taiyuan, the industrial capital of central Shanxi province, 64 percent had lead poisoning. Overall, experts estimate that lead poisoning could afflict half of all urban Chinese youth. Ironically, Shenzhen was honored this year by the U.N. as one of the world’s 500 most environmentally progressive cities.
